Poster Design Tips
AENJ presentation - October 4, 2000.
Presenter John Gierla
Maple Avenue School
Newark, NJ
Elements of Design Principles
of Design
line color texture
shape balance
movement unity
form space pattern emphasis repetition clarity
The Role of the
Poster: The basic difference between
the poster and other advertising media is that the poster speaks to the
audience “on the move.” Newspaper ads, magazine ads, and mailing pieces such as
folders brochures and booklets are designed for the reader who has time to
stand or sit and read for a while. On
the other hand, the poster must capture the attention and get the message
across in a matter of seconds. It must spark the reader to take the desired
action through a brief message packed with punch or veiled in subtlety.
The Purpose of
the Poster: While there are literally
hundreds of uses for the poster, it will have only one of the four purposes:
(1.)
To announce an event.
(2.)
To promote a service.
(3.)
To sell a product.
(4.)
To develop an attitude.
The Characteristics of the Poster:
(1.)
A successful poster
tells the story quickly.
(2.)
It must be attention
getting
(3.)
The poster must be convincing.
(4.)
A striking use of color
is important.
(5.)
An effective poster
reflects an almost stark simplicity.
Design Qualities of the Poster:
(1.) A basic
quality, characteristic of all acceptable design, is balance. There are
two kinds of balance:
(a.)
formal balance is also
referred to as symmetrical design.
(b.)
informal balance
presents a design with variations on either side of an imaginary central
vertical axis.
(2.)
Another quality, movement, is the systematic directing of the viewer’s
eye from one part of the poster to another in a way predetermined by the
artist.
(3.)
Emphasis is a vital concern in the developing of the poster design.
Emphasis may be attained by making one part (slogan, illustration) of the
design large then subordinating each of the other parts to this in order of
importance. The quality of the emphasis
may also be achieved by using:
(a.)
contrasting background
shapes behind the illustration or lettering.
(b.)
strong contrasting
colors and values.
(c.)
a generous use of white
space or open space.
(d.)
contrasting styles,
sizes and colors in the lettering E. a large illustration.
(4.) The component parts
of the poster also should be arranged so that they “hold together.” This is the
quality of design referred to as unity. Unity may be attained:
(a.)
through overlapping of
the elements in the design.
(b.)
through the use of
panels or a line.
(c.)
by the treatment of the
background.
(5.)
Another design quality
that contributes to an effective poster is specific appeal. A poster is designed for a specific purpose
based on a single theme. Aim to put
into the design a “feeling” for the product, service, event, or attitude.
(a.)
a poster advertising
perfume may be light, delicate, feminine, or decorative.
(b.)
a poster selling trucks
or heavy industrial equipment should be strong, heavy masculine, with bold
colors.
(c.)
a poster encouraging a
winter vacation in the south should be bright, sunshiny, happy, and carefree.
COLOR IN THE
POSTER-: A prerequisite to a successful poster design is knowledge of the
nature and the characteristics of color as well as how it should be
used.
(a.)
color attracts
(b.)
color emphasizes
(c.)
color may be used simply
because it looks good
(d.)
color may be symbolic
(e.)
color identifies
(f.)
color may express a
feeling for the idea being presented
(g.)
when used throughout the
poster, color creates movement, unity
(h.)
color background
develops orderliness, continuity and contrast.
LETTERING FOR POSTERS: Lettering for posters should be simple, legible, appropriate and
attractive. There is no place in poster design for lettering that is overly
tricky, confusing, or difficult to read.
An ability to letter can be developed by using:
(1.)
guide lines.
(2.)
spacing.
(3.)
uniformity.
In a slogan of
several words there may be one word you wish to emphasize over the others.
There are a number of ways you may do this:
(1.)
by making one word
larger.
(2.)
by changing the value or
the color of this word.
(3.)
by changing the style of
lettering for this word.
(4.)
by lettering the word in
capitals while using lower case letters for the rest of the slogan.
(5.)
by underlining the one
word.
(6.)
by lettering this word
in Italic letters.
With this
background, you should now be ready to design your poster. A suggested procedure is to develop small
preliminary sketches, often referred to as “thumbnail sketches. They must be in proportion to the finished,
full-size poster. The purpose of these
sketches is:
(1.)
to try different ways of
arranging the information on the poster, to explore many design possibilities.
(2.)
to try different styles
and sizes of letters.
(3.)
to develop various color
combinations.
(4.)
to experiment with
background shapes, panels, lines of movement.
(5.)
try different emphasis.
Book - Posters
- by George F. Horn (Davis Publications)